Does the color of the nectar matter to hummingbirds?

[JoB]

and if so..

if you make your own nectar..

what do you use to color it?

just asking because i have seen a hummingbird fly up.. check out the feeder when it didn’t have nectar and fly away without testing…

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[Al]

I used my own sugar water combo with no color and had lots of feeding hummingbirds!

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[oddreality]

It is not recommended to color the water. They do not need the dye.1/4cup of sugar to 1 cup of water, boil for 2 minutes and it is good to go.It is not good to add extra sugar.

We started feeding years ago after seeing a hummingbird try to get food out of an empty feeder during a big freeze and snow we had here. I felt terrible seeing it so hungry and nothing to eat so we have fed ever since.They know how to suck you in.:)

The Anna’s stay all year long around here.

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[Breezy]

oddreality is correct, no food coloring JoB; however, the feeder itself will attract more birds if it is red. It will mold fairly quickly so you need to change it often if it is not being consumed. Good luck and thanks for taking care of the birdies!

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[JoB]

i will be making hummingbird simple syrup tomorrow night…

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[Lisa]

Yep! Oddreality nailed it! No need for coloring 4:1 ratio of Water to White Sugar – bring to a boil together or add sugar to boiled water and stir to dissolve – Cool and put in CLEAN feeder. You should clean and refill your feeder(s) once a week (even in the winter!). Do not use soap to clean, hot water and white vinegar will do the trick, rinse well after washing. Take special care when the temp goes below freezing… once they depend on you as a food source … they really DO depend on YOU! Hummers can die in as little as 24 hours without food in the wintertime.

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[anonyme]

There are a number of winter-blooming plants that help them through as well. Right now my Mahonia ‘Charity’ is blooming profusely, and the hummers are all over it. Next will come the Sarcococca, Hellebores, and the winter blooming Honeysuckle. Some blossoms persist on the Gaura, but don’t know if it is still providing nectar.

The Anna’s hummingbirds have already started mating, so they really need to replenish their energy stores!

The color of the feeder has more to do with attracting hummingbirds than the color of the nectar inside. I’ve never had trouble attracting them with clear nectar, even with colorless, rustic feeders. Here are a couple of links with good arguments on the red dye issue:

http://www.hummingbirds.net/dye.html

http://wildbirdsunlimited.typepad.com/the_zen_birdfeeder/2010/07/top-5-reasons-to-not-use-red-hummingbird-nectar.html

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[JoB]

anonyme..

hubby loves hummers so i have planted for them

i planted more hellebores this year…

i decided against mahonia.. i rent and i though that was too large a commitment to make for a landlord

but didn’t know about winter blooming honeysuckle…

i will look for that.

i think we will be here a while

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[Author]

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